In the best of all possible worlds, software would always work the way it is supposed to. Settings you change in the dedicated dialog boxes would reflect those changes consistently and behave in a predictable fashion. Here in the real world, that isn't always the case. Computer viruses, malicious software or defective code can keep your browser from accepting and remembering your homepage choice. When the regular methods of changing your Internet Explorer homepage don't work, you can specify your preference in the registry.

Press the “Windows-R” key combination.

Type “regedit” without the quotation marks in the “Run” dialog box and click the “OK” button.

Click the arrow next to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER entry in the Registry Editor window's left pane to view its member keys.

Click, in sequence, the arrows next to the entries for "Software," "Microsoft," "Internet Explorer" and "Main."

Click the entry for "Main." The sub-keys for this entry will be displayed in the window's right pane.

Locate and right-click the entry named “Start Page.”

Click “Modify” on the pop-up context menu.

Enter the complete Web address for your homepage. Include the http:// prefix with the address.

Click the “OK” button and close the Registry Editor.

Tip

Homepage settings for the Firefox and Chrome browsers are not saved in the registry. Set the homepage for these browsers through preferences or locate and edit their configuration files.

Warning

The changes you make to the registry are immediate and permanent. Accidental deletions or changes can cause serious performance issues with your computer. Back up the registry before making any changes.

About the Author

Finn McCuhil is a freelance writer based in Northern Michigan. He worked as a reporter and columnist in South Florida before becoming fascinated with computers. After studying programming at University of South Florida, he spent more than 20 years heading up IT departments at three tier-one automotive suppliers. He now builds wooden boats in the north woods.